Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an alignment system. More particularly, but not exclusively, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and system for relatively accurately aligning, and subsequently securing, a wheel assembly to a wheel hub.
Physical characteristics, such as, for example, size and weight, associated with at least certain types of removable components of an assembly may prevent, or otherwise interfere with, the ability to manually handle that component. Such physical characteristics may also hinder, or otherwise preclude, the ability to accurately position, during assembly, the removable component relative to another, mating component(s). For example, wheel assemblies for at least certain types of vehicles, such as relatively large construction equipment and mining vehicles, among others, may have a weight and/or size that generally prevent those wheel assemblies from being manually maneuvered to a position in which the wheel assembly can be operably attached or assembled to a wheel hub of the vehicle. Further, the size of such components may interfere with the ability of an operator who is assembling the components to readily recognize the relative positions of those components. Thus, the assembly of such relatively large components may require the assistance of an additional person who is to be positioned in dangerously close proximity to those components during assembly.
The nature of the mechanical connections used to secure relatively large components may further complicate the assembly of those components. For example, wheel assemblies for large mining and construction vehicles may be secured to wheel hubs using a relatively large number of lugs or bolts, such as, for example, seventy bolts. Such mechanical connections however may necessitate the need for precise positioning of a rim of the wheel assembly relative to the wheel hub so that each of the holes of the rim and/or wheel hub is properly aligned to receive insertion of a lug or bolt. Thus, the tolerances in the location/orientation of the rim relative to the wheel hub may be relatively small, such as, for example, less than 2 millimeters (mm) along each of three axes of displacement, and less than one degree in three rotational or angular orientations, namely, roll, pitch, and/or yaw.